1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which employs a holographic display interacting with a motion detector in order to determine the position of an input command object, which may be used to input a desired command into a computer. The system detects the position of the command object, or its performance of a contact code, with reference to its relative positions on a holographic display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computers customarily require a user to input commands to direct the computer as to what information is desired. Usually a graphical user interface (GUI) displays a selection of choices that a user can select on a graphical display unit. The GUI also displays the desired information that the user has requested. Usually an input device, such as a button, keyboard, mouse or joystick is the means that a user has available to communicate his desired command to the computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,942 issued to James Ball on Nov. 11, 1997 describes an input device for a computer that uses a motion detector to determine the location of the user's nose. A curser displayed on a GUI corresponds to the motion of the user's nose. Thus, instead of using a mouse to move the curser the user moves his nose and the motion of the user's nose is correlated to that of the curser. The user moves his nose to select the desired command to be carried out by the computer.
A GUI displays information as text or an object in two dimensional space because a flat display screen is used. A three dimensional perspective also can be displayed in two dimensions. A GUI has not been described using three dimensional space which allows a user to input commands.
Holography is historically the art of recording optical data and reproducing the recorded information in a three dimensional display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,866 issued to Dan Kikinis on Jun. 13, 1995 describes an apparatus that creates a holographic display that can be dynamically manipulated by a computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,361 issued to Malcolm Conway on May 21, 1985 describes a two dimensional display unit with datum points located on a displayed object to select a desired change in a displayed object. No means have been disclosed to manipulate a three dimensional object by selecting a command with an input device displayed in three dimensions.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a holographic direct manipulation interface solving the aforementioned problems is desired.